And yet, there is always work to be done
by Silent Iguana
Summary: Inspired in part by the latest LN, just a thought on the relationship between Hikigaya and Isshiki if the latter were to get serious on Hayama or someone else.


I don't own My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU.

…

There was a decent amount of people going in and out of stores. Every now and then I would get an odd stare thrown in my direction, which wasn't very surprising considering I was standing near one of the main entrances…seemingly without a clue.

Still waiting, I swallowed the small amount of water that resided in my mouth. The cool liquid went down effortlessly and without any objection. Only my tongue seemed to be displeased at the action; the taste wasn't exactly what it was hoping for I suppose.

_Sorry, but we can't always have MAX Coffee! _I thought to myself, still holding the small plastic cup in my hand as I waited for the person responsible for the bad, lingering taste in my mouth to show up.

Or was that just the water?

Inspecting the clear substance closely made me realize just how clean it was. Maybe it was the cup then? I pondered eagerly, dedicated to get to the bottom of this mystery before I took another sip. After all, it was bad enough I had to work on yet another Saturday. I couldn't go around drinking bad water as well! The frail plastic cup seemed all too innocent though, which left me with few options as to what could be responsible for this uncanny urge to leave my well guarded spot and indulge my taste buds' desires instead.

Eager and with my tongue still spiteful, I pulled out my phone to check if there was enough time for a quick venture. The usual bright screen was dimmed slightly in response to the sunlit windows but other than that the content was all the same. No missed phone calls, no voicemails, no reminders, no new text messages, no new notifications what so ever.

Ah, it required a lot of will power to remain so unnoticed in this day and age! Proud of my achievements, I took a quick glance at the time before closing the screen immediately afterward, unpleased.

Time was truly something. It was neither inclined to be your friend nor your enemy. It's something completely impersonal…but is also always just and trustworthy. No one could ever accuse it of being unfair, just too indifferent and detached. To the point that it always dominated in this one sided relationship called life. Even so, it was the one of the few things everyone was granted free of charge, and the one thing no one wanted to lose, the great equalizer among people.

The fact that one day this one-sided relationship would end was what made staying in it for as long as possible worthwhile, which is why this person being fifteen minutes late was increasingly painful. See, even I can see the nuisance of a third wheel!

So was my misery on this beautiful Saturday morning.

"Ah, senpaiii!"

Startled, I turned at the mention of my nam—wait, why can't you just call me by my actual name? Did you forget it or something? Or have you honestly begun to think that that's actually it?

Slowing down from her brief sprint, Isshiki Iroha was still waiving at me as she came to a full stop, no more than a couple of feet from my well guarded spot.

"You're late."

She pouted slightly at my brief reply.

Hey now, I'm not so sure that I quite deserve such a glare from my junior, I'm the one losing out on a Saturday after all!

"Senpai," she began, ever refusing to use my name, "isn't this the part where you say 'hello!' back?"

"Hello, I guess." I said calmly, eager not to drag this out and finish work as soon as possible.

Isshiki's frown deepened in the slightest before being replaced by a vibrant smile. "Nice to see you too! And I'm sorry I'm a little more late than usual, but I had some important things I had to do."

Isshiki always had an excuse, ever since I was _recruited _to help her with Hayama I don't think she had ever once been on time to any of these…whatever they were called.

_Wait…'_a_ little more late than usual'? _Are you being late on purpose!?

I coughed to clear my throat as I pushed the idea to the back of my mind. "Well, I wasn't waiting for too long…just try your best next time."

"Promise!" She said with a familiar tone.

_Right._

Her smile turned a little more devilish after a brief moment. Coupled with her unwavering stare it was truly an unsettling look she was giving me. She also leaned her torso quite a few inches forward, significantly diminishing the safeguarding space between us.

"W-what?" I asked after a couple of seconds.

Isshiki continued to stare, the smell of her shampoo beginning to fill the space around me.

_Cut it out already. _I thought to myself, not minding the sweet smell but not particularly fond of her close proximity.

After a couple of more seconds Isshiki finally spoke. "I see, so that's how it is." Her smile never lost its luster, as her glossy pink lips curved dangerously. "Senpai, don't get so caught up in thinking about our next meeting, okay? The answer is still no, you knooww."

I thought to what I had said earlier and internally chastised myself for choosing words that might give her ideas, if even in the slightest. There's no getting past this girl is there? Everything I say can and will be used against me!

"Right, thanks for that." Truly, getting rejected when I wasn't even interested was reaching a whole new level on my part. "So, what is it this time?"

Isshiki finally retreated and placed a slender finger under her chin, seemingly deep in thought.

_Leave it to you to forget. That's something I would expect more from Yuigahama._ I took another sip of water, waiting for her response.

"Hmm, well I think I already have a decent amount of destinations in mind from the previous times. Sooo…I was thinking of just doing some shopping instead."

My face must have shown my surprise…and disappointment. "I don't see why you need my help for that. That's something you should just save for Hayama. I'm sure he's far better at that sort of thing." I doubt Isshiki noticed the irritation in my voice, but just saying his name on a Saturday didn't sit well with me and left a bad taste in my mouth…or was that just the water again?

"Eh? I'm sure Hayama-senpai is better at a lot of things." She answered as if it was the most obvious thing in the universe.

Now that I think about, Komachi was telling me about how she was curious about the possibility of parallel universes, and how alter egos of ourselves might exist. The things they teach kids in middle school these days. I just want you to know Komachi, that regardless of the universe you're in, your brother will always love you!

"But I'm sure you must have some experience." Isshiki added cheerfully.

They way she said it made it obvious that she knew more than she was letting on.

"Yuigahama-san and I were talking the other day, you see, and she told me about how you picked out gifts for her and Yukinoshita-san."

There was a slight edge in her voice that I thought I heard but wasn't entirely sure. The water must really have something…MAX Coffee where are you!?

I let out a small sigh and slumped my shoulders once I fully registered her words though. Yuigahama would be the one to tell others about such things. I just hope Isshiki was as far as she went. She might be kind, but it didn't surprise me to think that her kindness could sometimes get the better of her. I don't doubt that's how Isshiki got her hands on this information.

"I wasn't really of much help," I said, hoping to convince her to call today a lost cause. "I just got dragged along for both counts." _You knooww? Like right now._

Isshiki didn't seem convinced. "No fair senpai, you need to help me pick something too!" She smiled and hooked her arm around mine, "besides," she whispered close to my ear, "I think the gifts you chose were sweet."

To say that she was close was an understatement. Once again, the smell of shampoo flooded my face, along with what I guessed to be her perfume. As nice as it all smelled I couldn't get around the fact that she was far too close. Her slender body was pressed firmly against my side with her legs slightly nudging mine, causing her skirt to also push against me. All of this made it particularly difficult to push her away without touching her. The worst part of it all though, was how close her lips were to my ear; I could practically feel remnants of her breath on my neck.

At least deciding to wear pants was a good idea, I thought as a small consolation.

Thankfully, and just as suddenly as she had appeared, Isshiki leaned back slightly and started walking, edging me along slowly. "Let's go! I have a few places in mind that I really want to get to before the day is over!"

All I could do was nod, still not really comfortable with us walking so close. "You know, people could see…this." I subtly motioned to our entwined arms.

I immediately felt Isshiki loosen her grip, thought it was a while later until she fully released my arm. "True, but…that would be a good thing for you, right?"

_The nerve of this girl! And no…nope, you're wrong. It would be very bad, in fact._

"Well, it's still good practice for Hayama-senpai," she added happily, making sure to keep her distance, though she was still walking close enough that our shoulders brushed on occasion.

"Aren't you counting your victory a little too early?" I asked without a second thought, making sure to slow down as to match pace.

"I'm confident I can do it." She energetically replied, though her voice was only loud enough for me to hear.

I shook my head. No, you see, there's no doubt that you'll do something or have confidence, but that's not the problem here. Hayama already said no once. To think that someone like him would change his answer was close to near zero. After all, of all the girls he talks to, Miura was by far the one who probably knew him best and even she was completely left in the dark regarding his future.

"Haruno-san wished me luck!"

I turned to Isshiki in surprise; not expecting to hear that name from her or that she had been so trustworthy of Haruno.

_Scary._

"And besides, senpai," she continued as she leaned forward slightly, "please don't misunderstand, the answer to you will always be no. Also, you support me don't you?"

"…" I rolled my eyes in response, something Isshiki didn't like at all.

Next thing I knew I felt her take a light jab at my shoulder. "That's really mean, you knooww!"

I forced a chuckle despite the imminent danger to my safety, much to Isshiki's discontent.

"Eh, right, something got stuck in my throat you see."

Isshiki frowned slightly but didn't protest further.

As we continued to our destination, which I still didn't really know of, I found myself taking another sip of water, this one by far tasting the most bitter. Isshiki's mentioning of Haruno brought something to the forefront of my mind, and for some reason it didn't sit well with me.

In truth, there was one other person aside from Haruno that knew Hayama better than anyone else at our school. Together, all three were a part of a group that was above everyone else.

Next to me, Isshiki started tugging at my sleeve, "Ah, let's try this place first senpai!"

Since we were in a mall, I knew any hopes I had of salvaging my Saturday went up in smoke the second Isshiki mentioned the word shopping. So, staying true to my earlier conviction, I followed closely behind her as she entered the small store with a smile.

Despite her earlier boast of confidence and apparent enthusiasm, the thought of Isshiki being rejected again was all but solidified in my mind. And after our little discussion on the train, I had been sure that she knew it was over. However, seeing her work so hard week after week was starting to dent that belief. If she truly believed she had a chance with Hayama, even after being rejected once, then the fallout might be more severe than the first. Still, as she walked with determination in front of me, a part of me still held hope that Isshiki would come to realize that there's only so far that people of different worlds can get to know each other.

A/N: Inspired by the latest LN chapter. Again, I don't own MTRC. Please hit me with criticism, good or bad, either or is much appreciated.

Hopefully the chapters will get longer. Have an awesome day.


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